Pakistanis believed to have aided the CIA in the operation that killed Osama bin Laden are in custody. The detentions are seen as a reaction by security officials who were embarrassed by the U.S. raid, and a reflection of the widening rift between the nations.

In a speech Tuesday before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, lambasted Pakistan's degree of cooperation since the Bin Laden raid. He said Congress should place restrictions on the $3 billion the U.S. gives Pakistan each year in military and civilian aid.

Rogers said he believed that elements of Pakistan's military and intelligence services "provided some level of assistance to Osama bin Laden."

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the committee, said he could not confirm the arrests but added, "Why are they spending money and effort attempting to locate people who were helping to fight Al Qaeda, when Al Qaeda is an enemy of theirs?"

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a bill that would give Congress authority to review the administration's outline for how hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for Pakistan would be spent and ultimately to decide whether the money should be handed over.

Such restrictions, however, would only worsen the already tenuous U.S.-Pakistani partnership, said security analyst Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani lieutenant general.

"It would only push Pakistanis to distance themselves further from the Americans," he said. "Cutting off aid is not just about the money — it's about the attitude of trying to punish Pakistan rather than coming to an understanding."